AASAS E-News Flash

August's E-News Flash Update

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In This Issue

Building on the success of the I Believe You campaign
Counseling Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence
First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training

“I Believe You”

Three simple words that heal and stop sexual assault

Watch the videos

Why “I Believe You”

One of the common themes among sexual assault survivors is that many don’t disclose or get help out of fear of not being believed. Believing overcomes the guilt and shame that many survivors feel, and gives them the confidence and support to get help and find healing.

Building on our success—from me to we

Last year, AASAS led an extremely successful campaign that engaged post-secondary institutions and increased public understanding around believing as a first step. Of those who said they would know what to say to a sexual assault survivor, the number who would give a positive responses (I’m sorry that happened, it’s not your fault) went up over 108%. Respondents who would use the specific phrase “I believe you” increased by 411%. And the number of disclosures went up 53% month over month from the year before.

Building on the success of last year’s #IBelieveYou campaign, we are looking forward to even bigger things this year. With three years of new funding, we are gearing up to engage old and new partners in a campaign geared to showcasing the broad support for sexual assault survivors we are seeing so clearly among the general public. We will once again partner with Post-Secondary Institutions to deliver our message, but will also include groups and associations from across the province. Watch for advertising supported by a strong digital campaign, media relations, and public engagement initiatives…!

Stay tuned for the official launch of the next phase of the I Believe You campaign, September 19th!

The Campus Sexual Violence guidelines can be found at: www.endingviolence.org

Counseling Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence

The Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS) is pleased to be launching our Counselling Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence, a 12 week online integrative course designed for Counsellors, Therapists, and other mental health practitioners who may wish to work with survivors of sexual violence, or who may be already working with survivors and would like to more deeply inform their counselling practice.

This course offers an integrative, mindfulness-based approach to ongoing assessment and interventions with adult survivors (all genders) of sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse. It draws on the most current theory including feminist, attachment, regulation, and interpersonal neurobiology; and evidence-based practices, including mindfulness, cognitive, emotion-centred, somatic, neurofeedback and other emergent approaches for trauma, addiction and mental health. The baseline premise is that the embodied present-moment personhood of the therapist is the primary evidence-based intervention in working with survivors. The course is also situated within an understanding of culturally relevant practice and how multiple identities, social locations and historical contexts inform interventions with survivors; and how counsellor reflection, self-knowledge and self-care form the basis for ethical counsellor praxis.

While this course does not provide in-depth training in a specific modality it will introduce and critically consider various modalities, theories, principles and ethics associated with working with survivors of sexual violence.

AASAS is running this training September 15 through to December 1, 2016. Course information and registration details can be found here.

Poster

Participant Quote:

‘It was very validating, inspiring and energizing to learn new concepts and theories and to be able to use them immediately with clients and see results and get feedback. The resources you provided were invaluable, and the common experience of learning in an environment with other counsellors in the field was great.’

First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training

First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training is a 2 day workshop that will provide participants with education and skill development in the following areas:

Definitions, myths & laws about the various types of sexual abuse & sexual assault – child sexual abuse, responding to adults who were sexually abused as children, sexual harassment and sexual assault
Training in immediate & long term impacts of sexual abuse & sexual assault
Teaches skills to respond to disclosures of sexual abuse & sexual assault

*A look at one of our First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training rooms

This training is intended to build the capacity of professionals, paraprofessionals and community members to assess and respond effectively to disclosures of sexual assault and sexual abuse. Survivors who receive safe and supportive responses to disclosures of sexual violence are more likely to reach out for help from medical and counselling services and/or report to police. First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training is a comprehensive two day training, inclusive of the full continuum of sexual violence and across the lifespan.

Upcoming Trainings:

Aug. 22 - 23, 2016 - Vermillion

Aug. 29 - 30, 2016 - Edmonton

Sep. 20 - 21, 2016 - Banff

Oct. 6 - 7, 2016 - Medicine Hat

Oct. 13 - 14, 2016 - Lethbridge

Oct. 13 - 14, 2016 - Edmonton

For information and register click here.